he'd tell her thank you when he saw her again
by vickih
Summary: This is a prompt fill for the USS Caryl challenge. the prompt is: Daryl and Carol get together but Beth is the catalyst. There will be bits of Beth in this, but it is a Caryl story and strictly platonic thoughts about Beth. There will also be NO bashing of Beth in this fic. If Caryl is not your thing, this is not for you.


**He'd tell her thank you when he saw her again.**

**Prompt fill for the Uss Caryl Challenge. The prompt is: Carol and Daryl get together but Beth is the catalyst.**

**This will NOT be a bash on Beth one-shot, will have only platonic Bethyl and is one hundred percent Caryl. This is set after the prison group gets out of Terminus.**

**Hope you enjoy it. **

**Dedicated to the great folks on the Caryl love thread on STD**

**Btw: I don't own or have anything to do with the Walking dead. I just like to play with the characters.**

He was a fucking idiot. How many times had he given up on everything and everyone only to be proven wrong? Well not so much wrong about everyone... SHE had always managed to surprise him.

What was so messed up with him that he gave up so fucking easy?

He couldn't believe his eyes.

Everything just froze.

After everything they had been through this week, he figured maybe he was riding the crazy train.

"_The others could have made it."_

He knew Carol had been out there before the attack, thanks to Rick. He knew she was tough, but he just gave up.

Hell, he had found Rick and the rest of them, why did he doubt her?

She looked tired. He saw something flash in her eyes when she saw them, fear and apprehension, but that was quickly replaced by determination.

He glanced behind her and saw Tyreese and Judith.

"_You're afraid_!" little Greene's voice echoed.

Yeah, he was afraid. He can say he's not but he's been afraid his whole damn life, cowering in shadows and under false bravo to hide that fear.

"_You don't let anyone get close_" she had said. Well she was fucking mistaken.

He did let these people get close, especially Carol and what did that get him.

His home destroyed, his family gone, Carol…..

Carol still hadn't moved, none of them had, how long had they been staring at each other across that field?

His chest hurt as he looked at her. Something had happened to her, he could see it in the way she tried to fold into herself yet still project that air of confidence.

She was still Carol, but there was SOMETHING different, something haunted in her eyes.

"_We should do something!" _Yeah, there was little Greene demanding they do something, look for the others and all he had done was sit in his funk. He hadn't looked, fuck he gave up on them and HER, feeling sorry for himself.

He should have done something alright, He should have made sure Carol knew how important she was to him. When Rick had told him Carol had killed Karen and David all he could think it why hadn't she come to him first. He had known she was worried and afraid. Hell, he had stopped and asked her if she was alright. He knew she wasn't, why didn't he do something then? Why hadn't he spent a few more minutes making her talk to him instead of running off like a bitch.

To be honest he should have done something a long time ago. Should have told Carol she was the reason he stuck around, she was the reason he tried so fucking hard to be better than he was.. He should have done something.

"_I'm not Michonne, I'm not Carol I'm not Maggie., but I'm still here." _ Little Greene was right again. She wasn't Michonne or Maggie. She wasn't Carol, no one was like Carol. Little Greene survived, why the fuck did he think Carol wouldn't? He had yelled at her that it didn't matter because even if the others were still alive, they'd never see them again. How many times was he going to think that he'd never see Carol again? After the farm, her being lost in the tombs, him leaving with Merle, her banishment and the fall of the prison. They always seemed to make their way to each other. That woman really did have nine damn lives.

She was so close, but so far away. His eyes scanned her body looking for injuries but found none, just that weariness and sadness that seemed to engulf her. He wanted to go to her, wrap his arms around her, but he couldn't move.

He wanted to call her name, but the words were stuck. He never was good with words, but she could get them out of him. Christ how much of himself had he shared with her? Everything except what had mattered most. Coming back and finding her gone, he realized that he more than loved her, he needed her. She kept him grounded, made him whole.

"_You were like me once". _He had never been like little Greene. He had never had her hope and optimism. His life had been much harsher than hers, ugly. The only time he had ever "been like her" was when he was with Carol. He did have to give it to little Greene, she had her father's outlook on life, she also seemed to gain some of Carol's ability to see the good in people.

Fuck, how long had he been standing here, like an idiot. Carol was right there! All he had to do was move, nod something.

He hated how far apart they were, all he had to do was move.

He watched as she holstered her gun and knife. Ty stepped closer to her, providing a unified front. He wondered if Ty knew about Carol and Karen. Who was he kidding, of course he would know, Carol wouldn't hide it. He should have known she would have been able to explain what had happened in that cell. He had told Rick that he could have handled it, looks like Carol handled it all on her own. She had put up with his ass all this time, stood toe to toe with his brother and won. He made the rookie mistake of underestimating her.

"_You were built for this world". _Yeah, little Greene, he was built for this world. He could do all the things he needed to survive, but without the group, without Carol he just wouldn't live. What's the point of living if your alone? He had yelled at the girl, telling her he didn't need nobody for nothing. What a fucking liar he was. He needed his family and he needed Carol. He had told her that he never relied on anybody, another lie. He relied on Carol making sure he was ok, making him feel cared for and loved. He relied on Carol to remind him that he could be more than he thought he was, to push himself to be better.

He had skills, but Carol was the one built for this world, his tough, kindhearted, caring best friend was a survivor. Nothing seemed to stop that woman.

She still hadn't moved, she just stood there. What had happened to her? Why were her eyes so shadowed?

Why can't he move? How long had this stare down been going on for?

"_You'll be the last man standing". _Worst fucking thing she could have said to him. He couldn't do this alone. He couldn't do it alone before and he sure as shit couldn't now. He needed these people. He needed Carol. He needed to take a breath and do something. He tried to look at Rick to see what his reaction was to Carol and Jude standing there, but his head wouldn't move. His eyes wouldn't leave her.

"_We need to do something!" _ _Yeah, I hear ya little Greene_. He needed to do something.

He felt his body tense as he prepared himself to move, still wondering why no one had moved, called out to them. His jaw started to unlock, her name ready to spill from his lips.

"TY!" Sasha's scream pierced the air as she ran to her brother.

"Judith!" Carl and Rick called out together as the hurried to Carol and Jude, Michonne hot on their heels.

"Carol" Glenn called as he and Maggie too ran to join the others. Daryl wanted to kick himself. He should have been the one to call to her, to run to her.

He couldn't move. He watched as Ty quickly handed the baby to Carol before he scooped up his sister, hugging her for all he was worth.

He watched as Rick, his arms shaking reached for Carol. He could tell the other man wasn't sure of what kind of reaction she would have to him.

He watched as Carol gave Rick a small smile and stepped into his embrace, while Carl threw himself into the mix. Michonne stood just off to the side, a smile breaking her face.

Carol gently disentangled herself from the two men and handed Jude off to Rick. Rick was saying something to her, but she shook her head and gave him a comforting squeeze on the arm.

Her head snapped up and her eyes locked with his again. So many questions in those pools of blue.

She started towards him but was cut off as Glenn full body tackled her, almost taking them to the ground.

Daryl could hear Carol's laughter echo across the field.

"_You should do something!" _little Greene still giving him hell. _Fine Beth, I'll do something!_

He saw Carol get up off the ground and give Glenn one more hug before turning to Maggie and giving her one as well.

He saw her gently push Glenn and Maggie towards Rick and the others before she turned back to him.

Those blue, haunted eyes burned into his as she slowly made her way to him.

"_You need to do something, Daryl." _He forced his body to move, to take that first step towards her.

They didn't run to each other like in the movies, no crying out the others name.

Their pace was steady and true, just like them.

It felt like an eternity and no time at all before they were standing feet then inches apart.

They didn't speak. Just stood there once again locked in that strange limbo.

"_You need to do something, you need to tell her."_

His hands shook as he hesitantly reached up to cup her face.

Her eyes were so heart breaking. There was so much pain in them, so much fear and doubt.

There was also so much love it almost knocked him to his knees.

He wondered if she would touch him seconds before he felt her hands slide up and cup his face as well.

They pulled each other closer, could feel the others breath across their lips.

He dipped his forehead to hers, breathing her in.

Her smell, so comforting familiar, her essence, her very being.

He felt her body relax as she worked her careworn hand up into his hair.

She closed her eyes as a contented sigh escaped her lips.

Carol opened her eyes again. He could see the smile there climbing past the sadness.

He had so many things he wanted to say to her, so many things he wanted to know, but for now this was enough. They could talk later….

" _You finally did something" _Little Greene's voice echoed one last time through his mind. Yeah he finally had. He'd have to remember to tell the little pain in the ass thank you when he saw her again.


End file.
